Promise of education

Author: Sandra McCarty

Most college students find the prospect of finding and applying to the right school a real challenge. Peer pressure from your friends and family can make the prospect of an objective search seem impossible. Even with a variety of opinions about your future being discussed, don’t despair. Finding the best college for you is easier than you think.

The first step in finding the right college is to consider key selection criteria. Here are some criteria to consider when making a college choice. Remember that even once you’ve narrowed down your options, nothing beats an actual campus visit.

Tips

Location

Academics play a great role in determining the appropriate school for you, just like location does. You should look for an exotic location or something close to home. According to U.S. News & World Report, start your college planning with the type of location that you will be most happy with and a location where you will also be comfortable. This can have a great impact on your experience and can do a lot to help you narrow your choices.

Campus Size

Colleges are available in all sizes and sizes, from a school that enrolls less than 100 students to a school that can enroll 31,000 or more. Choosing a good college for you in terms of size also depends on your preferences.

You might even want to think about how far you want to walk between classes. Large schools usually have large campuses, as well as a better selection of services and activities to do. On the other hand, a smaller college may provide individualized attention and more personalized and intimate experience for every student.

College Type

Despite popular belief, all college are different. Some devote much of their resources and time to research. Others focus their attention on learning and teaching. Some have a specialty in one area while others are known for providing students a broad end enriching education.

Other differences to consider include whether schools are single-sex or have the religious affiliation. There are a variety of colleges that focus on a particular ethnicity. Your options are nearly limitless. This is the same case with your personal learning, preferences, style, and available resources help you find where you will succeed.

There are many factors to consider when deciding where you want to go to college. Begin by considering location, campus size, and type. By knowing the kind of university you wish to attend, you can narrow your choices and focus on curriculum and affordable options.

After choosing the right college paying tuition and fee can be a daunting task especially if your parents don’t have a stable income. In fact, research that was conducted by Young Invincible, a research and advocacy group revealed that college tuition and fee at public universities have risen at an average rate of 28% since 2010 with states such as Arizona and Georgia prices rising by up to 72% and 68% respectively. As a student you should learn various tips to pay for college. The good thing is that there are financial options that can help you lower your college fees. In this article, we are going to give you college financing tips.

Tips

Check for tuition deals

As the government pushes higher education institutions to control their expenses, more and more colleges are now seeking ways to help families minimize their costs. Several public universities including Iowa state system and the University of Arizona have already proposed a freeze tuition system that will be effective form next year. This means that starting from next year, students who join this two universities will pay less fee.

Apply for scholarship and loans early

Most students usually wait until the last minute before they start applying or loans and scholarships. Applying for scholarships and loan early will enable you to get feedback on whether you are successful or not on time. This is very important because if you are successful, you will start making other plans because you know your college finance is sorted.

On the other hand, if your application does not turn out to be successful, you will still have time to come up with a second option. Some scholarship programs set a limit on the number of application that they will consider. This means that if you delay, the chances are that your application will not be accepted.

Start saving early

According to research conducted by bankrate.com, a parent who starts saving for their children fees early usually don’t struggle when the time for the kid to go to college finally reaches. Parents are therefore encouraged to start saving early to as to prevent themselves from making desperate moves that can be very costly. Start saving early, if you skip a pizza or a couple of pitchers of beer now; your child won’t struggle to go to college 20 years later.

Consider public service profession

One major disadvantage of working in public service is lower salaries when compared to another field. The government has come up with a loan forgiveness program to help a needy student who is struggling to pay the college debt. Students who have college loans and work in public service are eligible to apply for this program.

If you are considering to get a private student loan, there are different sources where you can get these loans. To get the best, it is good to consider the different private student loans lenders. Here are some of the things to consider when looking for the best lender.

What to consider

Look at the number of lenders

You need to do a lot of homework and compare the different lenders. Even if the first lender that you come across seems to have good rates, it is not advisable to sign up before you check up other lenders. Getting another lender with friendlier terms is possible. It is also good to note that the loans are more complex and differ significantly by the lender, so it is good to perform research and make comparisons.

Check the most favorable terms

As mentioned above the loans are more complex. There are variable and fixed rates usually provided by the same lender. According to LendEDU, variable rates tend to be lower and are usually tied to a key index that will go down, but might end up going higher in the long run. Repayment periods also differ and the longer repayment terms offer lower monthly payments. However, you will be required to pay higher interest rates. Shorter terms might results to unaffordable payments, so you need to balance to find out the one that suits you.

Search for a credible lender

It is good to look for a lender who has been in the business for a period. It is also good to consider a lender that has high chances of staying in the business for a while. If you are considering getting the loan from a private institution, you need to perform more verification before you choose them. This is because they are not established as sustainable financial institutions. Banks and credit unions are more sustainable financial institutions. Your lender should also be ready to offer you the amount of loan that you need.

Check for loans that are specifically for education

Some lenders give generic loan that is not specifically designed for an education program. You need a lender who offers loan specific loan because they will understand your loan better. They will also understand what you need better and how to communicate with you. Look for a lender that will not require you to make repayment until you have completed your education.